A Kind of Reckless
by Melika Elena
Summary: AU: High School Gadge: "He always does this to her, Madge thinks despairingly. She is normally so sure of herself, but one look from him just makes her nervous... He has no idea how deeply he's ensnared her. She should say 'no' to his offer- Gale Hawthorne has already hurt her too much in the past. But something about him makes her reckless, unlike herself. 'Yes,' she says."
1. Treacherous

_Written for Jenny, meant to be a one-shot, turned into a monster. Enjoy!_

* * *

**I. **_All we are is skin and bone, trained to get along. Forever going with the flow, but you're friction._

It's the Homecoming dance his senior year and he sticks his foot in his mouth (as usual). But it's all Madge Undersee's fault (as usual).

She shouldn't have come to _this _dance, at _this _school, wearing _that _dress.

There are two high schools in their town: one, Capitol Prep, for the kids on the fast track to college with money and connections, and two, District High, nicknamed "Seam" High because geographically it straddles the best and worst parts of town (three guesses which schools he and Madge attend.)

Madge shouldn't have even _been_ at the Seam's Homecoming dance, but she's good friends with Katniss, who wants to get in Madge's best friend's pants _bad_, so Madge decided to help Katniss out by suggesting that they all go as a group date, so here they are.

It's pretty obvious to everyone _but _Katniss and Peeta that they want each other bad, and Gale's half-tempted to shove them in a broom closet and tell them to go for it, but that, of course, would ruin the romance and allure that the dance seems to provide for them.

He shakes his head in disgust. He never thought he'd see the day where _Catnip _would be into all the cheesy romance stuff she so long abhorred. Prim is a bad influence on her, _clearly._

As for him, he and Bristel and Thom came stag, each having enough ex's between the three of them as to have very limited options for a date. Gale, for his part, is bored of the girls at Seam and the way they throw themselves at him. Okay, okay, that sounded arrogant, sure, he admits that, and no, he doesn't say it out loud, but he's tired of the catty games and the backstabbing. Dating shouldn't be so difficult, so complex. It should just be about the two of them, right? That's what his parents have. That's what he wants, too—not necessarily something that lasts forever, but something more than this high school bullshit, at the very least.

So, he makes his rounds, waiting for Catnip and The Baker and Madge (and Darius, who Katniss begged to come along as a fourth member since Gale refused) to show up—he declined to go to dinner with them (seeing Katniss and The Baker make moon-eyes at each other? No, thanks) dancing with a couple girls, hanging out with his friends, the usual.

He's been at the dance for about an hour when they finally show up. The Baker is in a nice fitting suit, no surprise, as is Darius, which _is _surprising, as the man is constantly in his ROTC uniform. Catnip looks fantastic, in some deep red, one shoulder dress that is simple atop but fans out at the bottom, looking like she's a walking flame. She lights up like one when she looks at Mellark, though, who beams back at her, bright like the sun, and yeah, he rolls his eyes at them because they're just so damn _sappy _but he really is happy for them, and he and Mellark have already had _that _talk test, which Mellark passed ("You hurt her, I kidnap you in the middle of the night, take you to the woods, and hunt you down with my bow and arrow, are we clear?" "Crystal.") so Gale, well, maybe not _approves _of the match—how can he, when Mellark is from Capitol Prep, destined to get out of this bumfuck town, while Katniss is from the Seam and yeah, she's smart enough, but Gale just doesn't want her to get hurt. Sometimes some people are too different to work.

Like, for instance, he and Madge Undersee. That girl is in a league of her own, especially with her dad being the mayor of said bumfuck town (which, under his terms, is becoming less and less bumfuck, to his credit.) Gale can't believe the nerve of her, wearing that dress to a Seam dance—it's like she's yelling for everyone to see how much better and how much wealthier she is than them. The girls are glaring at her and the boys' eyes are about to come out of their heads.

Her dress is simple and long, a cobalt blue with a sweetheart neckline and a satin sash of the same color underneath the bust. She wears two studs in her ears, but otherwise is unadorned and she looks nervous but excited, darting her eyes everywhere. She's never been to a dance at Seam before, only visiting the high school to see Katniss's soccer or archery matches.

"Is that Undersee?" Bristel asks Gale, his voice, normally cool and collected, tinged with awe. "Damn."

Thom only gives a whistle, long, low, and appreciative.

"Yeah," Gale grunts, getting more annoyed by the second, as are the many girls around him whose dates are turning their heads towards the blonde. "What's the big deal? We've seen her before. I don't see what's so special about her."

"What's your problem?" Thom asks. "You got something against Undersee?"

"Yeah," Bristel says, "she's all right for a Capitol girl. Not snobby like the rest of them."

"How would you know?" Gale all but growls.

Bristel raises an eyebrow, and smirks. "We've talked a couple of times," he says in nonchalantly, conveniently not mentioning that it was about what time was their mutual SAT test.

"Well, so have I," Gale says bitingly, "and she _is _a snob. Wearing an expensive, pretty dress like _that _to a Seam dance, thinking she's better than everyone else. Who does Undersee think she is, anyway?"

He says this part rather loudly, and it's obvious that Madge has heard because her eyes falter on him, cheeks growing red. Darius glares at Gale, as do Peeta and Katniss.

"Shit," Gale swears as Thom and Bristel look at him.

Bristel shakes his head. "You're in for it now," he tells him unnecessarily as Katniss comes marching up, wearing a smile that looks like she's in pain as she grabs his arm roughly and says, "Boys, excuse us," and marches Gale away.

"What the fuck is wrong with you," she hisses at him. "Talking about Madge like that? What the hell has she ever done to you?"

_Existed _seems like the right word, but Gale holds his tongue. He's just glad his mother wasn't here to witness that disgusting lack of manners. "You don't get it," Gale just mutters.

"Get what?" Katniss demands. "Madge has never been anything but nice to you and you barely give her the time of day! I've never asked before because it wasn't a big deal, but I'm not about to let one of my best friends trash talk the other for no goddamn reason!"

When Katniss talks a lot, Gale knows he's in trouble. And this might as well be a novel from her.

"Shit, I'm sorry," is all he says, but it's petulant. "I'm just having a shitty night."

"I don't give a fuck what kind of night you're having," Katniss spits, still blazing mad. "Apologize to Madge _right now _and get your act together."

Gale scowls at her. "Jesus, Catnip, you're not my mother."

Katniss smirks at him evilly. "I could bring her into this if you'd like a more legitimate set down," she says.

"Fuck," Gale swears. "All right, all right, I'll go apologize to Undersee. Just call off Mellark and Darius, okay?"

Katniss nods her head, barely, and goes back to the trio, dragging Peeta and Darius away so Gale can talk to Madge.

Gale heaves a big sigh and goes up to the girl, whose hands are twisting together and refusing to look at him. Fuck. She's the only girl who makes him feel like he's crawled out of his own skin and into someone else's.

He opens his mouth to speak when she snaps her head up and looks at him. "Look, Hawthorne," she says and he stares at her because she rarely uses his last name, "I don't really care what you're saying about me, but I don't want you to come over here and spit out a half-assed apology just because Katniss told you to. Okay? I know you hate me. That's fine; we can both be Katniss's friends—we can be civil to each other, but let's not pretend that we actually like each other, okay?"

Gale blinks. _I know you hate me. _"Shit, Undersee, I don't hate you." He feels like crap.

Madge shakes her head. "Sure sounded like it. Don't worry, Gale, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I've long stopped worrying about how you look at me." And with that, she walks away.

Gale stands there for a few minutes, absolutely dumbstruck. _I've long stopped worrying about how you look at me._

Her words stay with him for a long time.


	2. Sparks Fly

**II. **_The way you move is like a full-on rainstorm and I'm a house of cards. You're the kind of reckless that should send me running, but I kinda know that I won't get far._

Katniss and Peeta are together by Halloween and literally no one was surprised except maybe the two of them. Madge is happy for them, really, she is, but Peeta and Katniss are her best friends and it's never fun to be the third wheel, no matter how hard they try and include her._**  
**_

Luckily for her, she has more than enough activities to keep her busy. Although not particularly athletic, she is active and is on the swim and track teams; is Vice-President on Student Council (with Peeta as her President, of course,); and gives piano lessons on the weekends, in addition to volunteering at the elementary school every other week. There are many days when Madge feels worn out, of course, but she also knows that she gets bored and restless much too easily to quit anything.

It's mid-November and fall has always been her favorite season. Despite the emeralds and aquamarine vividness of summer, fall is alive in its own way, all dark jewel tones and vibrant reds and golds. Fall was her inspiration when she spent the day helping out at the elementary school where her Aunt Maysilee teaches third grade, helping the kids with an art project featuring brightly colored tissue paper and twigs scavenged from the playground.

Cracking open her planner, she sees she has, surprisingly, the rest of the day free. It's a welcome change; perhaps she'll go to the coffee shop and do her homework. Sae's is homey, cozy, with a kind owner and delectable coffee; the fact that she's smart enough to get her pastries from the Mellark bakery doesn't hurt either, although she serves up one homemade daily special that is always delicious.

As she exits the front doors, she sees two children sitting outside, clearly siblings, shoulders hunched. Madge knows that look. It's the look all children get when they're trying not to panic over the fact that their parent is late picking them up. She's been that kid before—many, many times.

Madge approaches them slowly. "Hi, there. Is someone coming to pick you up?" She asks them softly, trying not to scare them.

They whirl around anyway and Madge is left looking at two little miniature versions of Gale Hawthorne, of all people. Granted, one is a little girl, but there is no mistaking her grey eyes and dark hair. Although there are a lot of people who have dark hair and grey eyes, the Hawthorne's, Madge thinks, all seem to have an interesting touch of green to their eyes. It reminds her of pine trees.

The boy, who looks a little older, motions for the girl to be quiet, but she speaks anyway. "Our brother," she says, "he always comes to get us from the middle school, but we don't know where he is. He's very late. "

Middle school? But Gale is in- That's right, Madge thinks frantically, there are four Hawthorne children. The kids are waiting for an answer and she clears her throat, awkwardly. "I'm Madge," she says. "I know, um, your brother Gale. And—oh! And Katniss and Prim."

They both light up in recognition. "Really?" The girl says.

"Yes," says Madge. "Now, um… where's Gale? Shouldn't he be picking you guys up?"

The boy shakes his head. "Gale has football practice after school," he says. "Rory always comes to get us instead, while Mom and Dad are at work."

Madge purses her lips. "Has Rory ever been late before?"

The two children shake their heads.

"That's… perplexing," Madge frowns, hoping nothing bad has happened to him. She pulls out her cell phone. Katniss is at soccer practice, but Prim doesn't play sports, and is best friends with Rory. She dials the Everdeen house.

Prim answers on the second ring and Madge tells her what's happened.

"Oh, my gosh!" Prim says. "I totally forgot about Vick and Posy! Rory got detention today for falling asleep in class. I should've gone and gotten them. I didn't even think."

Trust Prim to take the blame, Madge thinks wryly. "It's not a problem, Prim," Madge says. "Maybe I can take them somewhere? Where would be a good place to drop them off?"

Prim thinks for a moment. "I'm on my way out, unfortunately," Prim says. "I have a dentist appointment that's already been rescheduled three times. Maybe Mr. Hawthorne's car garage? You know where that is, right? On the corner of Birch and 12th?"

Madge knows it; it's a popular place to get your car fixed, if only because Asher Hawthorne is so good at what he does. "Will that be ok?" She asks.

"I don't see why not," Prim says. "I know Gale and Rory used to hang out there when they were younger. Either way, Mr. Hawthorne will know what to do, especially since Mrs. Hawthorne works Downtown," the largest city closest to their town was a good hour commute, but jobs Downtown paid much better, so a lot of people took the train in.

"All right," Madge agrees. "That's fine. Here, I'll let you talk to Vick and Posy so they know it's okay to come with me."

She hands the phone to the boy—Vick—since he's older, giving an apologetic look to the pouting Posy. He nods seriously, furrowing his brow in a way that reminds Madge so strongly of Gale she has to look away for a moment. He's a jackass of the first order, to be sure, but his siblings are adorable.

Eventually, Vick hands Madge the phone, who accepts Prim's endless "thank you's' and finally hangs up. "You're taking us to Dad's shop?" He asks.

Madge nods and gives him a bright smile. "Let's go, then!" She says. To her surprise, Posy grabs her hand and Vick returns the smile. The children definitely have a sunnier disposition than their oldest brother, Madge thinks sourly for a moment, then pushes it away as she helps them into her car and drives away.

000

Asher Hawthorne's shop can be best described as organized chaos. Everyone knows exactly what they should be doing, and the numerous pieces of equipment are always exactly where they should be, but everyone is always doing something—multiple something's—at once, and it, really, is a bit of a mad house. Although, Asher reflects, not unlike his life at home either.

As a man with four children, and a very strong-minded wife (all of whom he loves dearly), he is used to surprises, but he didn't expect to see a pretty blonde teenager walk into his shop, each hand wrapped around one of his children's.

"Daddy!" Posy waves to him with her free hand, but knows better than to scamper across the busy warehouse.

Asher blinks. "Hello," he says, wiping his greasy hands on a rag and offering one to Madge, who, to her credit, doesn't blink at all, just gently disentangles her hand from Vick's and shakes his, firm and sure. He is immediately impressed.

"Hello," she says, and looks a little embarrassed almost, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "I'm Madge Undersee. Um. I'm really good friends with Katniss and—I—I know Gale, a little bit."

Asher smiles at her. The mayor's daughter, then. While her connections—however tenuous—to his family are acceptable, it doesn't explain why she's here with his two youngest children.

"Oh, dear," he tells her instead, a jovial light entering his eyes. "If you'll excuse me, Miss Undersee, I'm at a bit of a loss as to how my children came into your possession. What have these two rascals gotten into?"

Vick and Posy begin to protest loudly, but Madge just smiles at them, and to Asher's amazement, they stop, somehow knowing she will vouch for them. She does, explaining what happened, tripping over her words, including Rory's detention and Prim's phone call.

"I see," Asher says, his lips twisting when the think about Rory, but he gives the girl a wide smile. "Well, we are in your debt, Miss Undersee. I can't thank you enough for being a brave enough soul to take care of my children."

Vick and Posy, as he suspected, protest over this, but Madge just looks at them fondly. "It was my pleasure," she says honestly. "They're wonderful."

They beam at her, delighted in her approval, and Asher narrows his eyes momentarily. He's heard Katniss mention Madge before, he thinks, but never Gale. If anything, his serious son seems to scowl even more when her name is menti—ahhh.

Asher smiles.

000

Gale arrives home that evening and finds, as usual, that someone is in trouble (thank God it's not him.)

It's Rory, which is interesting, because Rory has always been a sensitive, responsible kid, and Gale wonders what he did.

He tiptoes through the kitchen, trying not to be heard as he listens in on the conversation. His father, however, catches his eye, and Gale is startled to see a glimmer there, before it fades and his attention is back on his younger son.

"Rory," Asher says, "what would have happened to your brother and sister, you think, if Madge Undersee hadn't have been there?"

At this, Gale comes shooting out of the kitchen into the living room. "What happened to Vick and Posy?" he demands immediately. "And what the he-" he catches a look from his mother, "-ck does Madge Undersee have to do with any of it?"

Hazelle Hawthorne raises an eyebrow at his outburst, but turns to him gamely and says, "Rory fell asleep in math class today," she turns to glare at her younger son, "and got a detention for it. He _neglected _to tell anyone and _left _his younger siblings waiting at school for an hour today! If Madge Undersee hadn't been volunteering that afternoon and happened upon them, who knows how long they'd be standing out there!"

Gale turns to Rory, furious. "Do you have any idea how petrified they probably were? They had no idea what might have happened to you! And why the hell did you fall asleep in class, anyway? How are you not getting enough sleep?"

Asher turns to his wife and murmurs, "Hey, he's stealing all our best lines."

Hazelle quirks a smile. "There are worse things in life," she tells him. "Think if we leave the room they'll notice?"

Asher opens his mouth to reply, but he stops when he hears Gale yell, "And _Madge Undersee _of all people had to come to their rescue? I mean, come on, Rory, anyone but—"

"What's wrong with Madge Undersee?" Asher wants to know. "She's a sweet girl, who, I might add, selflessly took care of your siblings when they were scared and alone, and you, of all people, should be glad that someone found them and cared for them as well as you could've."

Gale sputters at him.

"_I _think," Asher continues, "that you are going to help Rory with part of his punishment. Tomorrow, I want you to take Rory to Madge Undersee and have him thank her for taking his responsibilities for the day."

"_I _have to?" Gale mutters. "Where am I even going to find Madge Undersee? That girl is insanely busy, from what I've heard."

Hazelle looks at him. "She's Katniss's friend, isn't she? I'm sure she has her number and can ask."

Gale sighs as he turns around and heads upstairs. "Why do I feel like I'm being punished, too?"

Asher chuckles. "He'll thank us one day."

"I'm quite impressed by your sneaky parenting skills, Mr. Hawthorne," Hazelle grins at him.

Asher raises an eyebrow. "What would you do without me, Mrs. Hawthorne?"

She pulls him in for a kiss. "I shudder to think," she says.

000

It's 4:30 PM and Madge is finally leaving Capitol Prep. It's been a long day. They're trying to plan the Spring Fling for the underclass men- who are forbidden from going to Prom, but still want a dance of their own- in addition to preparing for graduation activities. Madge has a calculus test an a track meet the next day and she feels unprepared for both.

She's also 99% sure that her parents have forgotten about her track meet the next day, even though she told them about it the week before. It's fine, they're busy people, but it would be nice for them to come to just one...

Aunt Maysilee would be there, though. She never forgot. Uncle Haymitch would be dragged along, but Madge knows he keeps a chart of all her personal times and he can recite them from memory.

Lost in thought, digging for her keys, Madge doesn't notice the two figures leaning on her car until she's nearly at the door.

"Oh!" She gasps, eyes widening at the sight of two nearly identical Hawthorne brothers at her car. Granted, Rory is nowhere near as tall or broad as his elder brother, but they have the same stance, physical features, and, of course, those piercing eyes.

Gale nods at her. "Madge," he says politely.

"Hawthorne," Madge says coolly back. They stare at each other intently, warily.

They've seen each other a few times since Homecoming, and if Gale is slightly warmer to her and if Madge is slightly cooler to him, no one mentions it. Gale knows she's acting on hurt feelings and Madge knows he's acting on guilt, and both operate under a tentative truce.

Rory looks between them, perplexed. He nudges his brother.

"This is my brother, Rory," Gale says, finally turning his eyes away from Madge. "I don't know if you two have met before. Rory, this is Madge Undersee."

Madge flashes Rory a wide smile and holds out her hand. "I've seen Rory around Katniss and Prim's house before, but this is the first time we've officially met, I think."

Rory takes her hand, flushing a little. "Hi," he says.

They stand for another moment in silence. Gale nudges Rory, this time. Rory stumbles forward a half-step. "I, um," he says. "I just came to thank you, for taking care of Vick and Posy because I was in detention." He falls quiet for a moment, his scripted apology over. Gale puts his hand on his shoulder, a signal to leave, but Rory blurts out: "I'm glad that you were the one who found them—who took care of them. They were lucky to have you."

Madge's mouth opens a little in surprise. She smiles. "I'm glad to have done it," she tells him. "You're very lucky," she tells him softly, "to have younger siblings. I know they look up to you a lot." Her eyes dart to Gale here, and he watches her, intently, and she looks away, afraid of what he sees there.

"I am," Rory says solemnly. Gale squeezes his shoulder, briefly. Rory waves good-bye, bashfully, and gets into his brother's car, parked next to Madge's.

Gale doesn't follow. He still has his gaze on Madge, and she falters under it, because he's never looked at her like that before.

"Have coffee with me," he says, and his voice is soft, not demanding.

Madge blinks. "Gale…" she says, and his heart pounds because it's the first time she's used his first name in months. "You don't have to do this. Rory's already thanked me."

Gale shakes his head. "That was _Rory _thanking you," he says. "Coffee is _me _thanking you."

Madge takes a half-step back. "If this is just because you owe me…"

Gale shakes his head, frustrated. "Madge," he says. "I _want _to." His eyes lock on hers. "And not just for a 'thank you'. Please let me do this for you."

Madge can't look away. He always does this to her, Madge thinks despairingly. She is normally so sure of herself, so confident in who she is, but one look from him just makes her _nervous_. The effect he has on her is startling, disconcerting. She always feels like prey waiting to be caught with him, and he has no idea how deeply he's ensnared her. The worst part is that he loathes her, and she should be saying "no" to his offer- Gale Hawthorne has already hurt her too much in the past.

But something about him makes her reckless, unlike herself. "Yes," she says instead.

She knows it's the right answer, despite her doubts, because she's never seen his smile look so bright.


	3. Mine

**III. **_You saw me start to believe for the first time. __  
_

He meets her at Sae's, a half-hour later, after dropping Rory off at home, and she's already snagged a table, homework spread out. He made her promise not to buy coffee until he arrived, and she didn't, but that didn't stop her from buying a steaming bowl of beef stew and a piece of rustic bread. She almost bought one for Gale as well, but figured he would take it the wrong way, as though she were trying to undermine him.

She's facing the counter, so she can clearly see Sae telling Gale something that's making him flush. She pinches his cheeks and laughs merrily and he blushes harder.

"Ahh, you're a good 'un, you are," Sae is telling him. "And _two _coffees, you say? Who's the other one for, I'd like to know?"

"You know," Gale says. "Madge."

"No, I _didn't _know," Sae says smartly. "That's why I asked! I didn't know you two were friends."

Gale gives her a look telling her he sees right through her act. "We're not," Gale says sharply, and Madge curls into herself a little bit. She knew this was a bad idea. But then his voice softens. "But we might be," he says, more to himself than Sae, who grins widely when she hears this.

Beaming her approval, she hands him an extra piece of bread. "Go charm her," Sae whispers in his ear, for only Gale to hear. "I know you have it in you, Hawthorne. I've seen you with enough girls. But this one's special."

"I know," Gale says and he means it. He's always known it, which is in part why he always says and acts the worse around her. There's something about her that gets under his skin and crawls into him, exposing him for what he really is, for better or worse.

"Show her that you are, too." Sae says, giving him a wink and a push towards Madge, who, try as she might, can't hear what they're saying, and is desperately trying not to wonder.

Gale goes and he sets the tray down in front of her and she looks up at him as though she has been working all along.

"Hi," she says, her voice slightly cautious, but her smile is warm.

"Hi," he responds, and her eyes are so intense and blue he has to look away for a moment.

He hands her the coffee, which she accepts, gratefully, and she looks at him in surprise. "How'd you know I like my coffee like this?"

Gale smiles sheepishly at her. "Sorry to disappoint," he says, "but I didn't. Sae did."

Madge flushes. "Oh!" She says. "Of course. I'm sorry."

"No harm done," Gale says, and then, before he can stop himself, "Maybe someday I will."

She looks at him questioningly.

"Know. How you like your coffee." God, could he get any more fucking stupid? Gale mentally smacks himself in the head. What the fuck is he even talking about?

Madge blushes some more, and Gale can't regret his words if it causes a reaction like that. Suddenly he realizes that she's just as affected by him as he is by her. He's not sure what he wants to do with that information, or why, exactly, it's important, but he knows that it's invaluable, somehow.

Gale takes the extra piece of bread that Sae gave him and breaks it in half and offers it to Madge. She tries to refuse it, but he insists. "That's the best part," he urges her, "dipping the bread in the stew."

Madge grins and she finally relents. "I could deny it," she laughs, "but what's the point?"

It breaks the ice a little bit, and they both relax. Gradually, they begin to talk—of school, of activities, of colleges. Gale has an athletic scholarship to attend a university up north and Madge, who skipped a grade, is deciding between her father's alma mater and her dream school, the latter of which is close to Gale's college. They talk about their families, friends, Katniss and Peeta.

Madge is easy to talk to, and Gale's not a talker. She's attentive, responsive, and charming. He looks at her and thinks of lost time, of his own stupidity. He thinks of how truly lovely she is.

"This is nice," Madge says quietly after a few moments of silence.

Gale chews before he responds. "It is," he murmurs.

He looks up at her and it's as if he's really seeing her for the first time, this gentle, kind girl who, _yes_, is more financially secure than he is, and goes to a better school and will probably lead a more comfortable life than he will, but he can't hold that against her anymore, nor does he want to. She is someone who _deserves_ that life, not because she is better than him, or born better, but simply because she is a good person. Madge Undersee deserves all that is good in the world and it's like realizing that is setting him free of this immature and irrational hatred he's had of her.

"I'm sorry," he says. "Because it's my fault that we—we haven't had or couldn't have had moments like this. I was so stupid and so, so wrong about who I thought you were."

Madge looks at him in the eyes. "And you know who I really am now?" There's no point in clarifying who Gale used to think she was.

Gale looks at her thoughtfully. He might have had an epiphany about her, but that doesn't mean he knows her well. He's assumed so much in the past, made so many snap judgments about her, and he knows this is his second chance. He doesn't know why it's so important to him, but he doesn't want to mess this up.

So he says, "I don't know yet." And, to Madge's shock, he gives her a shy smile. "But I'd like to."

000

"We're friends," he tells Bristel and Thom, taking a swig of beer so they can't attribute his flushed cheeks to anything else.

They're at a party, one of the last before finals start up and everyone's cramming so they can graduate with decent marks. It's a mixed crowd, both Seam and Capitol kids there. While there tends to be a lot of animosity between the two—particularly during sporting events—alcohol proves to be, as always, the trusty neutralizer.

Thom and Bristel immediately corner him when he comes in the room with Katniss, Peeta, and Madge in tow, particularly when they spot he and Madge talking to each other, all smiles.

"Really," deadpans Thom, while Bristel stands there, eyebrows raised. "Since when?"

"Since I got my head out of my ass," Gale snaps, knowing it's what they want to hear.

Bristel grins. "Well, at least you admit it," he says.

"And you finally got some good taste," Thom can't resist saying.

Gale chokes on his drink. "What the fuck?" He sputters. "What is _that _supposed to mean."

"It means that all of your other ex-girlfriends were clingy, self-centered bitches," Thom says bluntly, "and Madge is cool."

Gale scowls. "Thanks a lot, assholes," he mutters. "Tell me that _now, _why don't you?"

Bristel shrugs. "It didn't matter at the time," he explains. "It's not like you were with most of those girls for their personalities."

Gale flushes even harder, suddenly ashamed.

"Her, however?" Bristel jerks his head towards the opposite end of the room, where Madge is talking with the forward on Seam's basketball team, Kellen Cray. "She's special."

Gale shakes his head, thinking of Sae. "You don't have to tell me twice," he mutters.

Thom hears him, anyway, and his grin grows. "Well, well, well," he says, "is there finally a girl who's actually ensnared Mr. No-String-Attached, Gale Hawthorne?"

"We're just friends," Gale insists again. Something about the statement rings false, though- there's no "just's" when it comes to Madge Undersee.

He turns to Thom. "As for you, you should be nice to me."

Thom gives him a shit-eating grin. "Oh, yeah?" He says gamely. "And why is that?"

"Because I'm friends with Madge and Madge is good friends with Delly," Gale smirks.

Bingo.

Thomas face reddens. He's been panting after Delly for weeks now, after meeting her at a party, with no in. Peeta Mellark may be the nicest guy in the world, but Delly is like his sister, and he's just as protective as Gale is of his sister, especially concerning how sweet, and slightly naive, Delly can be.

Bristel raises his eyebrows at Thom, who begins to flush harder under his gaze. "Realllllllly," says Bristel. This is news to him. He looks at his friends. "Interesting. Both of my friends falling for Capitol girls. Never would've seen that coming."

Thom opens his mouth to reply, but his eyes sharpen on something in the distance. "Gale," he says, and Gale snaps his head up at Thom's tone.

Cray is trying to cozy up to Madge, his hands on her hips, and it's clear that she's uncomfortable, trying to squirm out of his grasp. She does so by walking over to the keg and getting another drink, tensing when he comes up behind her and throws an arm around his shoulder.

Madge's face registers annoyance and she slips out from under him once more, giving him a stern look and clearly telling him she doesn't appreciate his advances.

Madge can handle herself, Gale knows, but he hates the look on Cray's face: instead of chagrined, he looks amused by Madge, and the glint in his eyes reminds Gale of a predator.

Almost involuntarily, Gale curls his hands into fists and his scowl transforms into something like a snarl. Bristel sees this and lays a restraining hand on Gale's arm. He gives Gale a look- _trust me_- and walks over to Cray and Madge. Gale relaxes minutely. Of the three of them, Bristel has always been the most level-headed... And under-handed.

"Hey, Undersee," Bristel calls out cheerfully as he approaches them. He is the picture of friendliness, but when he looks at Cray his eyes are steel. "Cray."

He starts to talk to Madge about college, since they are concidentally going to the same one, and he watches Cray out of the corner of his eye. Cray hates being ignored, but eventually leaves, glowering menacingly at the two.

After he leaves, Madge smiles at Bristel. "I had things under control," she says, "but thanks all the same."

Bristel shrugs. "Safety in numbers," he tells her. He lowers his voice and leans closer, keeping an eye on Gale, whose eyes are narrowed suspiciously at them. "And between you and me, I did it more for Gale than you. He was about ready to pummel that guy."

Madge pulls back. "Really?" She asks skeptically.

Bristel nods mock solemnly. "He looked so incensed I thought he was going to turn into a werewolf and literally bite his head off."

Madge looks at him for a moment as if she isn't sure if he's serious, but then he grins, unable to hold form, and she throws her head back and laughs. Bristel looks at her admiringly. No wonder Gale is so smitten, whether he admits it or not.

"Let's go see Mr. Wolf before he bites _my _head off," Bristel says, and they walk towards Gale, who, he notices, puts his hand on the small of her back, and keeps it there for the rest of the night.

Bristel isn't sure if Gale realizes what he's signaled to the rest of the party, but the message is clear: she's mine. And Gale doesn't mind at all when Madge reciprocates the gesture - and the message - by leaning into him.

_He's mine_.


	4. Jump Then Fall

**IV. **_I've never been so wrapped up, honey. I like the way you're everything I've ever wanted. __  
_

Ninety-five percent of the time—a much higher percentage than he will _ever _admit to, by the way—Gale likes Peeta Mellark (keep it quiet, though; It wouldn't do anybody any good to know that information). Today, however, he's feeling disgruntled, uncomfortable, and thoroughly pissed off at the Boyfriend Perfection That is Peeta Mellark.

It's Prom Season. It's Prom Season, and of course Mr. Perfect Peeta Mellark asked Katniss to go to Prom with him in his annoyingly perfect wonderful way—he painted a picture, small enough to hang in Katniss's locker, clearly of their silhouettes, sitting together at sunset, with the cloud formations forming the word "Prom?" in the sky. It was nauseating, thoughtful, still private enough for Katniss's tastes (how the hell did Mellark get her locker combo? Gale is pretty sure he fluttered his eyes at the school secretary and got his way, as usual), and disgustingly original. She ate that shit up, much to Gale's disgust, who witnessed the whole thing as he was standing next to her when she opened her locker and saw it.

Katniss is _glowing _(as much as Katniss can) and Gale is happy for her, so he refrains from making gagging noises or snide comments about Peeta.

In front of her, anyway. In front of Madge is a whole other story, especially since he's dismayed to see that _she's _eating it up, too.

"It's very thoughtful of him," sighs Madge appreciatively, taking a sip of her coffee. They're at Sae's again, studying for finals. Gale is not the most dedicated of students but he doesn't want to lose his college scholarship—it might be athletically based, but he needs to maintain a certain GPA to graduate _and_ once he gets there. He admits that his parents have always been more proud of his academic accomplishments as well, so graduating with a high GPA is something he can do for them. (Madge, of course, is in the top 5% of her class. She probably could've been valedictorian, but insisted on taking the most difficult classes on top of her million extracurricular activities.)

"Peeta is very good at those kinds of things," Madge says.

"Uh-huh," Gale grunts because he's totally at a loss here. He realized, somewhere between seeing Peeta's stupid picture and watching Madge lick foam off her upper lip five seconds ago, that there's no one on Earth he'd rather go with to Prom than her, and having Peeta's Prom Proposal Perfection to compete with is literally making his head hurt. Another reason why he doesn't deserve Madge, why she's so above him.

He would be a terrible boyfriend, he realizes (not for the first time, but with much more emotional repercussions.) He and Katniss had tried dating a couple years ago, and he realizes now she gamely went along with it even though it was clear from the get-go that he was more into it than she was. It got weird really quickly, anyway, and the relationship didn't last more than a couple of months, but Gale never forgot that awful feeling of wanting someone more than they wanted you. Perhaps that's why he liked Peeta, in his own way—Peeta, who had been in love with Katniss since they were in primary school and always held out hope, regardless of the inequality of feelings, putting it mildly. Gale admires him, but knows he's nothing like him. Getting kicked to the curb emotionally time and time again isn't something he can subject himself to, and can't imagine having feelings strong enough that makes getting kicked to the curb the only option, because he wouldn't want anyone else.

He's always avoided relationships since Katniss, partly because of that feeling and partly because he's never found anyone worth taking the risk for… until now.

Damn Madge Undersee. It's all her fault (as usual).

"I just like how personal it all was," Madge says again, completely oblivious to Gale's internal anguish.

He lifts his head up from his gaze on his books, where he was pretending to do a statistics problem, and looks at her. "Is that what you would want?" He asks her, praying he sounds casual. "If someone asked you to prom?"

Madge blinks at him. Why is he asking? Madge tells herself that he's just curious; she would probably be the last person he'd ask to Prom. Granted, they're friends now, but still. She'd probably just embarrass him, anyway. And he definitely wouldn't want to go to Prom at Capitol, which she wants to go to- not to mention she _has_ to go, considering she's helping to plan it.

But she answers his question honestly, anyway.

"I think it would depend," she says. "If he wasn't someone I knew very well, it would be nice for it to be thoughtful in some way, but I would be okay if he just asked me outright. If I did know this person well, though, then it would be nice if the way they asked me was personal to us and our relationship- like relating to an inside joke or a place that's special to us." Madge flushes. "But I sound really high maintenance, don't I? These are just like ideals, or fantasies. In reality it doesn't take much to impress me."

Gale tried frantically to think of a suitable response. "That's not unreasonable," he said, although he was completely bewildered as to why and how girls put so much thought into this. And why Peeta Mellark had to be born with this magical insight. "Prom's special, right?"

Madge nodded. "It's supposed to be." She looks at him and smiles. "Do you know who you're going to ask yet?"

Gale shrugs and tries to think of a suitable response that won't give him away. "I have someone in mind," he says. "But I don't know how I'm going to ask."

Madge says, clearing her throat, "I can help you, if you want? You seem kind of nervous about asking." Which is so unlike Gale. Madge has seen Gale with other girls- he's cool, detached, and charming. This Gale looks unsure and uncomfortable.

He must really like this girl, Madge thinks wonderingly, and a little wistfully, but she pushes that thought aside and sits up a little straighter. Madge Undersee is a good friend.

Gale grimaces a little. Have Madge unknowingly give advice on how to ask herself to Prom? Hell, no. Besides, she's already said enough already. But having her actively help him plan it... It sounds too much like a really bad teen movie. And his love life is too much like a joke as it is. "Ehhh, that okay," Gale says, feeling supremely awkward in letting her down. "I've... Got a plan."

Madge eyes him a little doubtfully, but lets it drop. "Well, good luck," she says. And then, a little quieter, "she's a lucky girl, whoever she is."

Gale shrugs matter of factly and says simply, "She's special." Madge feels a thread of wistfulness curl around her heart again, but then Gale smiles at her and it makes her squirm in such a way that she can't pinpoint why.

000

He doesn't ask for Peeta for help (fuck that) but, in typical Peeta fashion, he helps him, anyway.

Gale _knew_ he shouldn't have told Katniss about Madge.

It's not as if she wouldn't have figured it out, really. The moment he froze when she asked who he was taking to Prom cued her in.

_Katniss narrowed her eyes at him. "Who is it?" She said. "Must be someone I don't like if you're acting like this."_

_"Just the opposite," Gale muttered, feeling so ill at ease it was driving him crazy, like an itch he just couldn't scratch._

_Katniss stopped walking and stared at him. "It's Madge," she said. "Isn't it?"_

_Gale swore softly and Katniss's eyes bugged out. "Really?" She said. "I'm **right**?"_

_Gale gave her a wry grin. "I guess being with Boy Wonder has increased your level of perceptiveness," he told her. "But yeah, I wanna ask Madge."_

_Katniss smirked at him. "I knew you always had a thing for her," she said triumphantly._

_Gale gaped at her. "You **did**?"_

_"You're like a twelve-year-old boy, Gale," Katniss says coolly. "The one who makes fun of the girl he likes because he has no idea how to get the girl. I figured it out at Homecoming, when you reacted so strongly to Madge's dress. It was a pretty dress, Gale, and you** know** she probably agonized over picking one that didn't look too glamorous or expensive."_

_In his heart of hearts Gale** did** know and he still feels guilty about it._

_Katniss continued on. "You were mad that she's so gorgeous and funny and awesome and you didn't think you could have her, nor did you ever think she would want you back—so you lashed out and acted like a complete jackass."_

_Katniss looked at him. "I'm going to keep this brief, because I'm pretty sure when Peeta finds out about this he's going to say the same thing—and make it longer. Don't fuck this up. For whatever reason, she's totally into you, and I want to see my best friends happy together, okay?"_

_Gale looked at her, gob smacked. Katniss wasn't totally oblivious **and **was giving him relationship advice?_

_Katniss, pleased to have stunned him into silence, walks away without saying anything else. _

He had hoped—just a little bit—that she had forgotten about telling Peeta, but nope, of course not, because when he's at the bakery buying bread the next day, Boy Wonder comes out of nowhere and says simply, "I can help."

Gale closes his eyes, counts to ten, and then finishes his transaction with Bread Name #2, who watches it all in amusement.

"This guy bothering you, Hawthorne?" Peeta's brother says with a quirk of his mouth.

"I can take care of him," Gale mutters out of the side of his mouth. He jerks his head to the side and Peeta gets the hint, following him outside to Gale's car.

He looks at Peeta and sighs. "There used to be a time when you could never get her to talk," he says wistfully, speaking about Katniss. "Man, I miss those days."

Peeta glares at him for a minute, but then says, "Well, look, before I agree to help you—"

"Hang on, there," Gale scowls, because what the fuck, didn't Peeta already offer, and he didn't _ask _for it, anyway, but Peeta keeps going.

"I'm going to say this once, even though Katniss has already said something," Peeta puffs up, not that he needs to look any more impressive. Gale might be taller than him, but Peeta is broader and _strong_. "You may have hunting tools and know your way around the woods like an animal, but I know seven different ways to pin you in two seconds, and I don't need much more than that to incapacitate you and throw you in an oven faster than you can say 'pretty dress'. So—" here Peeta seems to run out of steam, clearly out of his element, before he finishes lamely, "don't hurt her, okay?"

Gale rolls his eyes. He's almost impressed, but he would never tell Peeta that. "We need to work on how you threaten people," he says, "but if it makes you feel better, I don't intend to fuck this up. Jesus, everyone keeps telling me how fucking _special _Madge is. You don't think I know that? I've known that for years."

Peeta frowns a little in confusion at Gale before a big grin spreads across his face. Gale's matter-of-fact, blunt honesty is a trait he and Katniss share and it's one that Peeta finds endearing (on Katniss, anyway; with Gale it's just kind of admirable and amusing.)

It doesn't take much to win Peeta Mellark over, not that Gale was aiming to. But he grudgingly lets Peeta help, and yeah, okay, he's a good guy to bounce ideas off of.

And by the end of the day, they have a plan.

000

Madge is having an awful day. She woke up late, spilled coffee on her favorite cream-colored cardigan, and is 99 percent sure she did terribly on her psychology final. Her parents forgot about her track meet _again_ and even worse, Uncle Haymitch is sick, so he wasn't even there to cheer her on. Nor was Katniss nor Peeta, who almost always come. Nor Gale, who had come to her last meet, which was really sweet of him—not that she expects him to attend all of her meets, or anything, but still…

She's throwing a pity party for herself in her room with a cup of cocoa and her favorite book when she gets a text from Gale.

_You up for a study session at Sae's?_

It's only six-thirty, but she's tired and weary. She just wants to sleep.

_I don't think so, _she responds. _Sorry. It's been a bad day._

His reply is quick. _I'm sorry you've had a bad day. Maybe I can help?_

Madge blushes before she can stop herself. There are several ways she can think of for him to make her day better…

He types more before she can say anything else. _Come to Sae's, Madge. We don't have to study._

It's so weird, how she can hear his voice in her head when she reads his text. She _knows _what he sounds like, and it makes her heart beat faster. It's gentle and kind and understanding and she just wants to crawl into him and let his warmth seep into her.

_Please? _He says. Madge lets that sink in for a moment. She's tired and emotionally drained, but she's alone for the night, and loneliness and her crush on Gale _freaking_ Hawthorne wins out, so she texts him that she'll be there in half an hour. She dries her damp hair, puts on some mascara, and changes out of sweats into something somewhat presentable. She _should _do homework, but she thinks she deserves a little reprieve after today. She knows Gale has to study, though, so she throws her novel into her purse and figures she'll read it and sip on cocoa while he studies. The image is nice and cozy and intimate and it makes her flush even more.

Will I ever stop wanting him? She thinks as she drives off. It seems unlikely, but it doesn't bother her like it used to. At least he doesn't hate her, she says. At least they're friends now, even if he'll never look at her the way she looks at him.

Sae's is unusually quiet tonight, with hardly anyone in the café, maybe one or two other people. Gale sits at the best table in the house, one that is big enough to spread out in and has the comfiest seats. He faces the door so he sees her when she comes in and she's surprised by how much his face lights up. She can feel herself smiling in response, and for a moment she lets herself fantasize about "what if" scenarios and things that will never come to be…

Keeping her eyes on his face, she walks over to the table, plopping her stuff down. He looks nervous, too, she realizes, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion for a moment. What's wrong? His eyes flicker downward for a brief moment before coming up to hers, and she follows the movement—

There are no books on the table. No pencils or notebooks. Just a multitude of teacups on saucers, spread across the table, arranged to spell PROM?

The lights go out, suddenly, and Madge realizes there were tea lights in the cups, and they're set ablaze. She gasps quietly and looks into Gale's face. He's smiling at her, and as the candlelight flickers over his face she understands his nervousness. The vulnerability in his eyes.

"Is this real?" She asks, not even caring how stupid that question may sound.

He seems to understand though, and gives her a small, affectionate smile. "Yeah," he says softly, "it's real."

Madge swallows, still standing, her voice catching. "But... but... why _me_?"

Gale's out of his seat in a second. He crosses over to her and catches her hands in his. She looks down at them for a moment, processing his large, tanned hands cradling her small, pale ones. He rubs his thumbs over her knuckles automatically, reassuringly, as if he's done it a million times before.

"Madge," he says, urgently, willing her to look at him, knowing and hating that her insecurity about this is all his fault, "why not you? You're smart and funny and kind and you're so—you're so gorgeous. Inside and out."

She frowns, confused. "But you've disliked me for so long—"

He shakes his head, feeling worse than ever. "I never did," he says. "I just—I've always been so attracted to you, but I always thought you were out of my league. So I pushed you away because I never thought you would want a guy like me."

Madge's frown grows deeper. "A guy like you?"

"Yeah, a guy whose family isn't that well off, who doesn't have great grades and would rather spend his weekend in the woods than doing community service, and who's moody and kind of possessive and not big into talking."

"You're talking a lot right now," Madge points out, a mischievous little smile on her face.

"Yeah, well, this is important," he tells her with a roll of his eyes.

"I can tell," she says, her eyes flicking back to his question. "This is incredible."

"Yeah?" He asks her, a pleased smile lighting up his face.

"It's…" she shakes her head, smiling. "It's more than I could've dreamed of." She's sure Sae, and maybe Katniss and Peeta, helped him plan this, especially considering it seems like they're the only one's in the café, but she could care less. This idea is from him, and it's so _them_, 100 percent. It's perfect.

"You haven't answered yet, you know," he tells her, a little bit anxiously.

Madge tightens her fingers around his and he squeezes back. "Here's what I want," she tells him seriously, and he nods back at her, equally solemn. "I want to go to Prom with a guy who loves his family more than anything in the world, who is incredibly smart and going to a great college, who does what he loves, _and _still manages to do community service—" she gives him a piercing look. "I _know _you help out at the Boys and Girls Club most Saturday's." She continues on before he can say anything. "And who's moody, but sweet, possessive, but loyal, and who doesn't talk a lot, but when he does," she locks eyes with his and gives him a sweet smile, "always seems to know what to say to make me like him even more."

"So, yes," she squeezes his hands again. "I would love to go to Prom with you."

Gale releases her hands so he can hug her, and she sighs into his chest, her hands coming up to wind around his neck. He presses his face into her sweet-smelling hair and kisses her head.

Madge leans back and tilts her face up to his, raising an eyebrow in a silent challenge.

Gale grins and leans down, nuzzling his nose against hers for a minute before capturing her lips. He pulls her even closer and they fall into each other for a moment, because it feels so _good_, and Gale doesn't think he'll ever get enough of her.

Will I ever stop wanting him? Madge thinks as Gale deepens the kiss.

Never.

000

It's Prom his senior year and he sticks his foot in his mouth (as usual). But it's all Madge Underse's fault (as usual).

She shouldn't have walked down _those _stairs, with both of their families _right there_, wearing _that dress._

"Holy shit," Gale breathes as Madge descends the curling staircase into the entryway of her large house.

His mother whacks him on the head, completely mortified. "Gale!" She hisses, her eyes darting to the Undersee's, who look at him in a mixture of surprise and amusement, luckily.

He can't help it. It's not his fault that his girlfriend is absolutely stunning; she's in a league of her own, wearing a strapless white dress with a sweetheart neckline, the bodice shimmering with silver sparkles that fade into a long, fluttery chiffon bottom. Her hair is long and curled, strands swept away from her face in a waterfall braid that wraps around her hair like a crown.

She's stunning. And she's his. He thinks it's appropriate that he swears at it, because it's pretty un-fucking-believable.

Madge's lips curve up. "I take it this dress is acceptable, then?" She says dryly, referencing Homecoming.

Gale flushes, a little bit, but he says simply, "You're beautiful."

Rory and Vick make gagging noises, Asher trying to hush them up, and Posy sighs like it's a Disney movie come to life. Their mothers are snapping away with their cameras at the exchange and Mayor Undersee is looking like he's trying not to cry as he looks at his only daughter. Haymitch and Maysilee are there, too: Haymitch looks like he'd rather be gorging his own eyes out with a grapefruit spoon, but his gaze softens when he looks at his niece. Maysilee takes a picture every once in a while, but most of the time she's quiet, beaming.

"You ready to go?" Gale asks her, after the mom's have had their fill of pictures. "I don't want to be late for our dinner reservation." They decide to just do Capitol's Prom, because Seam's Prom is notoriously known as Decidedly Sketch, with too much grinding and too much booze and all of his friends have dates with Capitol girls, anyway, who aren't as willing to go to a Seam dance as Madge was.

They're having dinner, just the two of them, but after Prom they're going back to Katniss's house, where she and Peeta, Delly and Thom, and Bristel and Darius and their respective dates will be as well. Katniss has a fire pit set-up in her backyard and they're going to have their first bonfire of the summer: her father's supplied it with fresh wood and her mother bought s'more supplies for them all. Madge and Gale even packed an extra pair of clothes in Gale's car so their Prom clothes won't get smoky.

Madge squeezes his hand. "Yeah," she says, leaning up and giving him a peck on the cheek, which their mother's take a picture of, _of course_.

Prom is wonderful, and Gale doesn't know if there's a better feeling than being with his friends and having Madge at his side. Everyone's happy and healthy and safe and Gale wonders momentarily if he's living in some perfect dream world.

At Katniss's house, they end up being the last ones awake. Everyone's spending the night there: the girls are sleeping in Katniss's large attic room and the boys are downstairs in the finished basement, spread out on pull-out couches and sleeping bags. Gale and Madge are tired, but they're wrapped up together in a blanket and Gale is pointing out different constellations to her.

He looks down at her and kisses the top of her head as she squints up at the sky. They're going to different colleges in the fall, but the drive between them is only a couple hours, and he likes that Bristel will be there with her—Madge Undersee can look after herself, but it will be nice to know that Bristel's looking out for her as well—or rather, that they can look after each other.

But right now, a long, glorious summer, full of berry picking, swimming at the lake, morning hikes, bonfires with friends, and kisses under the stars, stretches out before them, and their futures are as bright as the stars in the sky.

Gale can't ask for anything more.

**_End _**


End file.
